Page 40 - BusinessWest September 30, 2024

AGENDA>> Free Shred Days
Oct. 5, 26: bankESB invites customers and members of the community to two free shred days at local offices. No appointment is nec- essary. Events will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. (or until the truck is full) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the 253 Triangle St., Amherst office, and
on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the 241 Northampton St., Easthampton office. Local residents can reduce their risk of identity theft by bringing
old mail, receipts, statements or bills, canceled checks, pay stubs, medical records, or any other unwanted paper documents containing person- al or confidential information, and having them shredded safely and securely for free. A profes- sional document destruction company will be on site in the bank’s parking lot and can accept up to two boxes of documents per person.
Whip City Animal Sanctuary Cruise Night
Oct. 13: Whip City Animal Sanctuary will host its first Hogs & Horsepower Car & Bike Show at 232 Montgomery Road, Westfield. The event will include prizes, snacks, adult beverages to purchase, and animals to visit. The entry fee is $10. Event details can be found at www.whipc- ityanimalsanctuary.com and the organization’s
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Facebook page. Whip City Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides long-term care for more than 100 abandoned, rescued, and surrendered farm animals. The sanctuary is open for public visiting hours on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon.
Healthcare Heroes
Oct. 17: BusinessWest and the Healthcare
News will celebrate the eight annual Healthcare Heroes starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. The class of 2024, profiled in the Sep. 16 issue and at businesswest.com, includes Dr. Andrew Balder, attending physician, Baystate Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center; Lucinda Canty, associate professor of Nursing and director of the Seedworks Health Equity Program, UMass Amherst; Bernice Drumheller, past president, NAMI Western Massachusetts; Peta-Gaye Johnson, director of Healthcare Workforce Initiatives, MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board; Margaret King, occu- pational therapist, Baystate Medical Center; Alexa Mignano, director of School-Based Clini- cal Services, River Valley Counseling Center; Dr. Laki Rousou, chief of Thoracic Surgery, chief
of Robotic Surgery, and medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program, Mercy Medical Center; and Janet Williams, professor of Biology,
“There’s no way you can avoid progress, which is a good thing, but the town has kept its home-town feel, which is good, too.”
stories like these in Wilbraham, said Mazzuca, adding that the mixed-use project on Main Street, which now includes several apartments, Pafumi’s on Main restaurant, the Guilty Grape wine-and- cheese store, and Scantic River Brewery, has gen- erated momentum in efforts to bring more busi- nesses, and vibrancy, to what would be considered the community’s downtown, the Main Street area.
Meanwhile, Wilbraham has become more focused on promoting itself and its assets and attracting more businesses. The town was suc- cessful is recruiting two of the former tenants of the Eastfield Mall — the Mall Barber and School of Fish, an aquarium store — for some of the rea- sons stated earlier, such as location and proximity to Route 20.
“We reached out to businesses at the mall and were successful in bringing a few here,” said Mazzuca, “because this is a great place to do business.”
Jeff Smith, vice chair of the Economic Develop- ment Committee and a small-business owner him- self, agreed. He said the town’s single tax rate has incentivized Home Depot and other businesses to locate in town, and there are many other assets
Elms College. Tickets cost $95, and tables of 10 are available. To purchase tickets, visit business- west.com/healthcare-heroes-tickets. Presenting sponsors include Baystate Health/Health New England and Elms College. Partner sponsors include Trinity Health Of New England/Mercy Medical Center and Holyoke Medical Center.
Cancer Connection Harvest Dinner
Oct. 17: Cancer Connection will host its annual Harvest Dinner at Inn on Boltwood in Amherst, featuring a farm-to-table dinner, live jazz, a silent auction. Starting at 6 p.m., this festive evening will bring the community together and raise critical funds to bring Cancer Connec- tion’s support groups, integrative therapies, and educational programs to a larger, more diverse population of cancer patients and their caregiv- ers. Cancer Connection is the only independent cancer support center in the area. Visit www. cancer-connection.org/special-events to pur- chase tickets. For more information about the event or for sponsorship opportunities, contact Liz Horn at (646) 234-8805 or development@ cancer-connection.org.
as well.
“We have a lot of open space — the trail sys-
tems are extensive, and we have two fantastic farms that put on all kinds of activities in the fall,” he explained. “There’s also water, sewer, access to Route 20, and a very business-friendly town government.”
As for the planned new Eastfield Mall ... there are still many questions to be answered on that project, but if it is redeveloped as planned, with a mix of local and national stores and restaurant chains, it should bring more traffic through and into Wilbraham.
“If the stores that are proposed to go up do
go up, that will draw more people into the area,” Mazzuca said. “For people going to the Eastfield Mall, when it’s time to go to a restaurant, you’ll have more people coming to Wilbraham. We have fantastic restaurants here, and in addition, some of our niche shops are spectacular.”
Bottom Line
Returning to those thoughts he had about how he appreciates Wilbraham even more now than when he was growing up there, Mike Trombley said that, overall, little has changed beyond that appreciation level.
“There’s no way you can avoid progress, which is a good thing, but the town has kept its home- town feel, which is good, too,” he said, noting, as others did, that this community has much to offer — to residents, yes, but also to those who want to get down to business here. BW
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Wilbraham
in medical and pharmaceutical sales for 26 years, was looking for a change, and less travel, and bought the business five years ago.
That was just a few months before COVID, which wound up essentially shutting her down for three and half months.
“That was a little scary, to say the least,” she said, adding that the pause, while unwelcome, gave her an opportunity to refresh the store and make some needed changes. Upon reopening, she has been continuously buoyed by local support — a running theme among business owners in town — but also shoppers from neighboring communi- ties and those passing through along Route 20 or stopping in to other businesses in the shops.
They’re drawn to her mix of gift items, from women’s and children’s clothing to jewelry to home items, with a focus on products made in this country.
As for Trombley Associates, it has been a nice, but not easy, transition for Mike and a solid sec- ond career, one where Barbara, a CPA by trade, is his business partner.
Barbara, a frequent contributor of articles to BusinessWest on the many aspects of financial planning, handles the tax side of the business, but also shares the financial-planning work with Mike.
Together, they have grown the client portfolio and, overall, continued a business that traces it roots back 60 years.
“I think my father would be very proud that we’ve carried the torch and, hopefully, made it bet- ter in his eyes,” Mike said.
The broad goal for the town’s Economic Devel- opment Committee is to help write more success
40 SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
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